Regional U.S. Restaurants Draw Renewed Attention

Across the U.S., new openings and longtime institutions are drawing renewed attention from critics and national roundups. In Nashville, Philippe Chow is opening a 10,000-square-foot outpost featuring tableside Peking duck and luxe entrees, while the Loveless Cafe still draws about half a million visitors annually for its fried chicken and legendary biscuits. Denver reviewers praised Michelin-retained Smok BBQ’s smoked-turkey sandwich and neighborhood favorites such as Dan Da’s and SubCulture, and Charleston’s scene is expanding with newcomers like Cane Pazzo, celebrated for hand-rolled pastas. Lexington continues to diversify with Yemeni-style Shibam Coffee, hand-pulled Lanzhou noodles, new bakeries and a forthcoming downtown fine-dining rooftop. National roundups and shows have highlighted small gems including Hong’s Chinese Dumplings in Vermont, Dirty Water Dough Co. in Boston, Mystic’s Trattoria Amalfi among Tripadvisor’s hidden gems, Portland’s Canary for its fried-chicken sandwich, and long-running neighborhood staples like Winston-Salem’s 6th and Vine celebrating 20 years with popular brunch and live music.